What Happens Now?
by Marzos
Summary: The sequel to my story 'The Kiss That Didn't Work'. After spending most of their lives away from people, Elsa and Kristoff aren't sure how to be in a relationship. Meanwhile, Anna and Hans learn that getting married doesn't mean an automatic happily ever after. Hope you all enjoy, and check out the original story!
1. And Now What

Kristoff had almost decided to camp out in the courtyard to wait for Elsa to arrive, but he settled for coming as early as he could in the morning after the wedding.

He'd had this crazy vision the night before, after he kissed her, of them getting on top of Sven and riding off together into the sunset. Elsa was even the one to suggest they leave early. But she was talking after the emotional high of the kiss, and when she had realized what she said she knew it wasn't possible.

"I have to give a speech, Kristoff," Elsa told him, one hand rubbing the fabric on his arm apologetically. "And considering you punched a guest, I don't think it would be safe for you to come back inside…"

"When can I see you again?"

"Kristoff, we're not star-crossed lovers or something like that," Elsa answered. "You don't have to act like we need to be secretive…come back tomorrow morning. We'll meet here and talk about…well, about…"

"Us?" Kristoff answered gently.

Elsa smiled in gratitude. "Yes. I'll tell Anna and Hans about it tonight as well. Goodnight?"

Kristoff grinned. "Goodnight, Elsa." He leaned in and gave her another kiss before leaving. He still couldn't quite believe she let him.

He hadn't been able to sleep the entire night; he just kept replaying everything in his head. He couldn't believe he had just kissed her…the _queen of Arendelle_…and the most amazing thing was that she wanted him to.

So as soon as Elsa stepped into the courtyard to meet him, not having even bothered changing out of her sleepwear, Kristoff almost ran to her to kiss her again; but before his brain could translate the command to his body, something made him stop.

Elsa was smiling, but it didn't seem genuine. The most telling thing was her arms; she was hugging herself gently. To most people that would mean nothing, but Kristoff had known her long enough to pick up on what it meant. Elsa always did that when she was nervous.

"Hello, Kristoff," Elsa said, a little too cheery, creating a bench made out of ice with a wave of her hand, "Please, sit down. We have a lot to talk about, don't we?"

She was being way too formal. Fear started weighing down in the pit of Kristoff's stomach; what if she regretted it? What if she was preparing to tell him that she wanted to pretend their kiss had never happened?

"Elsa, are you alright?" Kristoff asked, taking a seat.

"Oh, of course, I mean...I have to admit I'm a little unsure." Elsa finally admitted, folding her hands in her lap as she sat down, leaving a good amount of space between the two of them.

Kristoff tried to speak, but Elsa kept talking over him.

"I just want to get this out of the way Kristoff," Elsa continued, "I like you Kristoff. A lot. You've made me happier than I have been in a very long time."

The fear in his stomach started to recede, and Kristoff let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in.

"I want to be with you. But Kristoff, well…I didn't really...tell Anna or Hans about us last night."

"That's it?" Kristoff said, chuckling a little. "If you want me to be there when you tell them, I don't care—"

"It's not that Kristoff," Elsa interrupted, shaking her head. "Well—my advisors were congratulating me on finally taking an interest in someone that is royalty, so I believe they'll actually leave me alone about marriage for a few weeks at least, maybe more. And you know how Anna is, she'll insist on me telling her everything, and make _such_ a big deal about it. I just…I don't want to deal with all of them."

Kristoff stiffened. "You're embarrassed," he answered simply, "Yeah, I understand completely."

"No!" Elsa impulsively grabbed Kristoff's arm, gripping it tightly. "Please, Kristoff, what I mean is that it's only been six months since I actually became part of the outside world—six months, out of twenty-one _years _of isolation. My sister has just gotten married, Arendelle is as prosperous as ever, and the people have welcomed my powers with open arms. And now, with that whole business with Leon, I'll finally stop being hounded every day by a horde of old men telling me I need a husband. Things are so _simple_ now, for once in my life, and I don't want to make them complicated again. Can you understand that?"

Kristoff didn't answer for a long time. Elsa forced herself to look into his eyes. He'd never felt so confused. On one hand, it didn't sit right with him, carrying on in secret—and he didn't want to imagine how his troll family would react when they knew he was keeping this secret from them.

But at the same time, it also didn't feel right saying no to her. She looked so unsure, so afraid, her large blue eyes staring intensely into his as she softly bit her lower lip. The thought of telling her he couldn't do that and seeing those eyes fill with tears was enough to almost make his heart break.

"I guess…" he ran a hand through his hair. "It wouldn't be that bad—you know, just keeping it between us for awhile. It'd be kind of nice, actually, not having to worry about what anyone else—"

He was stopped short by Elsa suddenly throwing her arms around him, kissing him over and over again on the cheek.

"Thank you—thank you—thank you!" she said, pausing to kiss him each time. Realizing what she was doing, the queen ended the embrace, much too quickly for Kristoff.

"Oh…" Elsa blushed deeply. "I'm sorry Kristoff, I don't know what came over me—that's another thing. You do realize I have no idea what I'm doing?"

"Elsa, I was raised by _trolls_," Kristoff pointed out, "Trust me, no pressure."

Elsa laughed, but then became stern again. "Nevertheless, don't expect me to do that often…it's not proper you know."

"No one knows we're together," Kristoff said teasingly, "So why does it matter if you're proper about it?"

No laughter from her this time, but she smiled genuinely. "_Ha ha _Kristoff. It's not as if I want us to keep us a secret forever. Just for a short while."

Kristoff agreed, lacing his fingers through hers.


	2. Elsa Forgets an Important Day

Luckily for Elsa, she and Kristoff had the castle almost entirely to themselves for a good while. Anna and Hans were on their honeymoon, which Hans had planned by himself, and it was to be an extremely long trip to several different kingdoms in several different regions of the world. As long as Elsa remembered what times the servants would clean different rooms, she and Kristoff would have complete privacy for a glorious two months. She was confident that after that she would be able to swallow her discomfort and tell Anna about them. At the very least, she was hoping she would.

This particular night they were in the sitting room—she felt quite comfortable there. It was a room that Elsa enjoyed as a child before she was confined to her room, usually to hide from Anna so that she could read in peace, and she liked that she now had someone else to share it with.

Not to mention, the one time Kristoff had suggested they could go into her room to avoid any servants walking in on them, Elsa had turned so red that Kristoff backtracked immediately and denied having meant _anything_ by that. This room was small and cozy, the next best thing Elsa could think of.

"I like your hair better down," Kristoff said, pulling Elsa closer to him on the one large chair they were both sitting in. Elsa stiffened when she was pulled in, but relaxed after a moment. She still wasn't used to letting people hold her without worrying about hurting them.

"Kristoff, stop," Elsa said, as he ran a hand through her hair. "It takes me hours to do that braid in the morning."

"Well, it's the evening anyway though, isn't it? Not like you're meeting anyone else…" Kristoff answered. Elsa sighed, reaching a hand into her platinum hair and undoing the braided headband.

"Fine then…but I can't wear it like this all the time. It makes me look unprofessional."

"Well, I like it. It reminds me of when I met you."

Elsa looked up at the ice harvester, her mouth forming a small 'o'. "You want to be reminded of that?"

"Of course! When I saw that castle, Elsa…" he shook his head, smiling. "I almost wanted to cry. It was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen."

"I remember it too," Elsa answered. "I recall our first meeting being me in a blind panic, chasing you out of my castle with a giant snow monster."

"Well, it wasn't the best way to meet," Kristoff admitted, "But, you know, considering how everything ended up, I don't regret it at all—and you don't understand how amazing the ice castle really was," he added, unable to help himself. "I mean, the chandelier, the detailed floor—you know what I always say—"

"—Ice is your life," Elsa finished. She giggled—he was rather adorable when he was getting excited about ice. She buried her head into his shoulder, smiling softly.

"Still is," Kristoff continued, looking down at her, "But for a different reason."

Elsa rolled her eyes. "Kristoff, are you trying to be romantic?"

"Is it working?"

"Yes," Kristoff grinned as Elsa raised her head, gently pressing her lips to his—

"ELSA!"

"ANNA!" Elsa shouted, throwing Kristoff off the chair and not bothering to help him up when he hit the ground. She sighed in relief when she realized that she hadn't seen them; Elsa didn't see her in the doorway. Anna was shouting her name because she didn't know where her sister was.

"Elsa…? Oh, there you are!" Anna finally appeared in the doorway, her hair covered in icicles and soaking wet. Elsa realized it must have started snowing; sometimes she forgot that Mother Nature chose to make it snow without her help. "And hey, Kristoff! You trip?"

"Uh…yeah," Kristoff grunted, rubbing the spot on his head that hit the ground. "On, uh…the carpet. Guess I'm just a klutz."

"Never mind that," Elsa said, "What are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be gone for months!"

"We were…until I realized what today was. I told Hans we just had to get back!"

"For what?"

"_What_?" Anna walked into the room, giving her sister a big, and rather wet, hug. "Did you really think I would have missed my own sister's birthday?"

Kristoff's mouth, Elsa noticed, was hanging open. Elsa stood in deep thought for a moment; what was today? January fifteenth…that _was_ her birthday, wasn't it?

"Oh, Anna," Elsa said softly, "Thank you so much. But you didn't have to cut your honeymoon short for me. I would have understood."

"It's fine! Two weeks was plenty of time anyway. We spent it in Corona—did you know the princess has a pet chameleon? I'd never seen one before! He was so cute!"

"You need to tell me all about it," Elsa answered, "But right now I think you need to get changed. You must be freezing and I don't want you to get sick."

"Aww, Elsa, you sound like mom." Anna giggled, giving her sister a peck on the cheek. "Fine, I'll change. But meet me in the dining hall so we can all celebrate—you too, Kristoff! What were you guys doing in here anyway…?"

Elsa's mind froze, but Kristoff answered immediately, "I was just asking her whether or not we should wait for you guys to get back before we had her birthday party," he looked at Elsa and smiled. "Looks like we won't have to decide now though."

Satisfied with the answer, Anna scampered out of the room, tripping over her waterlogged gown.

"That was close," Elsa breathed, "I'm sorry I pushed you off the chair Kristoff. Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," Kristoff closed some of the distance between them. He put one hand on her shoulder. "Why didn't you tell me it was your birthday?"

"I forgot it was—I mean it!" she added, noticing the look of disbelief Kristoff was giving. "I never really thought of it as a big deal. Why throw a huge celebration when I couldn't even be around people to enjoy it? Mama and Papa always made sure to bring a cake into my room, but other than that…well, since they died I haven't had anyone to remind me of it the past few years."

"You mean for the past three years you haven't even celebrated your birthday?" he asked in horror. Elsa shrugged.

"I don't want to make too big a deal of it, anyway," Elsa said, "It was very nice spending time with you today, Kristoff. If I had remembered what today was I wouldn't have changed anything about it." Checking to make sure Anna was not coming back, she gave Kristoff a kiss. "I mean, you know how uncomfortable I am at parties. Can we just forget about it?"

"No problem," Kristoff answered, following her out of the room. Elsa couldn't help but think about how lucky she was to have him—he was so understanding, so accepting of things that she was sure most people would find ridiculous or weird, like not wanting to celebrate her birthday. Who else would be so accepting as to not even argue?

What she didn't know was what Kristoff was actually thinking in his head: _I'm giving Elsa the best birthday she's ever had._


	3. The Birthday Party

"Soooo, Anna…" Kristoff leaned in to whisper in his friend's ear as they sat around the table in the dining hall. "About this party…"

"What?" Anna asked, her mouth full of mashed potatoes. When she realized what he was saying she gulped the food down and grinned. "Oh, yes! Elsa's party!"

"Shhhhh!" Kristoff put a hand over her mouth. Luckily Elsa hadn't heard them; Elsa was in a deep conversation with Hans, who was discussing the benefits of a possible trading partnership with the kingdom they visited.

"It really is beautiful," Hans said, "They are very into fine art. The princess is a painter—she started a project, painting murals on all of the stone walls in the town square. It's more of a frivolity, importing artwork, but I think it would be worth sparing some goods; the paintings are incredible. And every year on the princess's birthday they release hundreds of lanterns into the sky…"

"We saw them before we came back," Anna piped in, "They were beautiful, weren't they Hans?"

He nodded, touching her arm and smiling before continuing the conversation with Elsa.

"Right—Elsa's party," Anna said, whispering again, "Why are we whispering? I thought you were talking to Elsa about it."

"I was," Kristoff answered, "And she said that she'd rather we didn't throw her one…"

"So naturally we need to throw her the biggest, most amazing party ever?" Anna asked, grinning. Kristoff nodded enthusiastically. He didn't love Anna, not anymore, but he still could appreciate that she was objectively awesome.

"So you'll help?"

"Of course I'll help. I haven't celebrated a birthday with Elsa since she turned eight." She leaned in closer to him. "Honestly, this is just as much a party for me as it is for her. Planning it is going to be so much fun!" she clapped her hands a little in excitement.

"Can we meet up tomorrow to work on it?"

"No, no, no, Kristoff—the streamers need to go _here_, and they were supposed to be _blue_. That's Elsa's favorite color, remember?"

"I'm sorry! Purple was the only color I could find!" Kristoff snapped. Anna, usually so easy-going, had taken to ordering around Kristoff and Hans all morning like a military officer. Kristoff could understand, it was her sister's party she was trying to plan, but he wished she'd lighten up a little.

"Well, if you don't care, let me do it!" Anna answered, trying to stand up on the stool herself. Hans almost seemed to materialize next to Anna, ready to grab her by the elbow. He was almost certain she'd end up falling off, as always.

"Anna, please. I can put up some streamers—"

"You couldn't even pick the right color!"

"Anna, did you think that maybe Kristoff's problem is that you're not giving him any room to do anything?" Hans asked, leading Anna off the stool gently so she wouldn't hurt herself.

Anna stared at him angrily for a moment, and then muttered something about making sure the cake was alright before storming off in a huff.

"I'm sorry Kristoff," Hans said, getting on the stool and fixing the streamers himself. "She wants to make sure everything is perfect for her sister, you understand that right?"

"Of course. She's not usually this snappish though…"

"Sometimes she can be…but it's very nice that you're doing this for Elsa. What did you say to get her to come?"

"Just that I had something I wanted to show her, but I'd be working all day so she needed to meet me in the evening." He neglected to tell Hans that the 'something' was actually them sneaking off together to go on a date. Right now Elsa probably thought they were going for a sleigh ride or something.

"Well, hopefully she'll—"

"Guys!" Anna squealed, "I think I hear her coming!"

Few seconds there was a commotion as people tried to hide under tables and behind chairs.

"Kristoff…?" the queen poked her head into the room. "Are you in here—"

"SURPRISE!" Elsa gasped, stumbling back and falling onto her back.

"Elsa!" Kristoff was the first to run ahead, taking a hand out. "Are you okay?"

Elsa got up, staring at the scene in shock. Party guests, mostly servants from the castle and friends of their deceased parents, were all silent waiting for her reaction.

"I told you I didn't want a party." Elsa said slowly. Tears began to well in her eyes.

"What? Elsa…" Kristoff awkwardly put an arm around her. "Please, Elsa, we all just thought…I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…"

But Elsa buried her head in his chest. "Don't be d-dense," Elsa said, starting to sob.

"But—"

"Kristoff—I'm not c-crying because I'm upset. I'm crying because I'm happy. H-happy and a l-little overwhelmed."

"We hoped you'd like it Elsa!" Anna said, giving Elsa a hug that pulled her off the mountain man. "I'm sorry the streamers aren't blue though..."

"That's okay," Elsa said, rubbing her eyes. "Purple is my favorite color."

Anna's mouth hung open and Kristoff smiled victoriously. He _was_ right!

"Everything looks wonderful," Elsa said, looking at everyone. "Thank you all so much for coming! Knowing that you all care about me this much means more than anything I could imagine. Enjoy the party."

"I thought you didn't want a party," Kristoff whispered to her teasingly, leaning in so his lips grazed her cheek. Elsa suppressed a shiver and turned to face him.

"Well, of course I said that," Elsa told him. "I didn't want you all to go to the trouble, I suppose. You know, I still don't think I'm worth making such a big deal over…"

"Of course you are," Kristoff answered. "In fact, I don't think we made a big enough deal. I wanted to hire a string quartet, but I was afraid Anna would get suspicious if the idea came from me…"

"You wanted to hire a _string quartet_?" Elsa asked in shock.

Kristoff grinned. "Just kidding."

Elsa pursed her lips. "Very funny Kristoff," Elsa said, and then smiled. "By the way…what did you get me as my birthday present?"

Kristoff turned beet red. "P-present?"

"Surely you made sure to get me a present if you remembered to throw this party!" Elsa said incredulously, her hands resting on her hips.

"Uh…well…I didn't even know when your birthday was until yesterday…I'm sorry—"

Elsa put a hand on his arm. "Kristoff," she said, causing Kristoff to laugh out loud, "You're not the only one who can tease."


	4. Books

"Kristoff, it was really nice for you to take me out like this." Elsa said, walking with Kristoff down Arendelle's streets.

"It was no problem at all Elsa," Kristoff said, smiling. "I thought it would be a nice way to celebrate."

He was being purposely vague. After much convincing on his part, he finally managed to get Elsa to agree to going out during the day with him to celebrate that they had been together for a month.

"Kristoff, you understand if we do that, people will notice me. We can't act like a couple. No hand holding, or secret hand holding when you think no one's watching, or going off anywhere to be alone—people will figure out about us."

"I promise," Kristoff had answered, "I'll be careful."

"After all," Elsa continued, "I would rather Anna find out from us, and not from a peasant spreading a rumor that we have a secret love child." Her hand went up to her mouth when she realized what she had said. Kristoff was rather surprised himself—could a joke like that really come from Elsa's mouth?—but he only laughed.

Today Kristoff was keeping his promise; he walked next to her, not getting too close, arms held behind him. It was still a good day for him; they talked, and occasionally Elsa or Kristoff would point out a particular shop of interest and they would go inside—to the delight of the small business owner that was getting a visit from the queen.

"I mean, I suppose I don't mind corsets," Elsa said to him as they exited a clothing shop. "They make you look nice, but they're not particularly comfortable. One of the benefits of being isolated was that Mama and Papa never really cared if I wore one or not."

"You don't really need one anyway," Kristoff pointed out, "I can't imagine a corset could make you look any better than you already do."

"Thank you," Elsa said simply, but from the way she looked at him he could tell that if they had been alone her reaction would have been a lot bigger.

Suddenly Elsa stopped, her hand flying to her mouth. She pointed in the direction of a bookshop.

"Oh my God!" She suddenly broke into a run. Kristoff followed.

"What? What is it?"

Elsa put her hands on the glass window that held a display of books.

"Kristoff, don't you see? They have The Scarlet Letter in stock. I've been waiting for our shops to start carrying it."

"What?" Kristoff said again.

Elsa stared at the book. "It's a new novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne. It's supposed to be one of his best works."

"Oh," Kristoff shifted awkwardly in place. Elsa, seeming to forget that she was with him, rushed in to buy it; it was moments like these that brought Kristoff back to the painful reality of just how different the two of their lifestyles were. Kristoff could read as well as the next guy, but he couldn't remember the last time he sat down to read a book. Yet to Elsa books were an old friend that, even in her isolated years, had never abandoned her. It worried him sometimes, when she would try to talk about her favorite stories and realized Kristoff had no idea what she was saying, that she would decide that he was boring.

He banished the thought from his mind. Opposites attract, right?

After a few minutes, Elsa exited the shop. She already had her face buried in the pages.

"Good so far?" Kristoff asked politely.

"Yes," Elsa answered, not looking up from the pages. Their outing was cut short when Kristoff realized that she was invested in this book. He sighed and they went back to the castle.

Kristoff had to admit, it was impressive how she navigated around the townsfolk with ease without ever looking up. But come on; he was competing with a book for her attention and lost.

He opened the door to the castle for her. She walked in, skirting around Anna, who looked like she was about to say something to her.

"Oh…" Anna sighed. "She found a new book, didn't she?"

"Yes," Kristoff groaned, "She barely spoke to me all day."

"Don't worry about it Kristoff," Anna answered, "It doesn't mean anything. When me and Elsa were kids, she got a book of fairytales for her seventh birthday, before my accident. She didn't leave her room for _three whole days_."

"_Days_?"

"Yep. I remember, Mama and Papa tried to make her leave by refusing to send food up to her room—so she had me sneak food in the pockets of my play clothes. Papa found out when he realized my pockets smelled like spaghetti sauce." Anna giggled at the memory. "So yeah…Elsa can get really serious about her books." She walked quickly away. "Sorry, I'm looking for Hans. I'll see you Kristoff!"

Watching her walk, Kristoff puzzled over the problem himself.

Unlike when she was a child, Elsa realized the importance of getting a good night's sleep, no matter how good of a book she was reading. Rubbing the sleepiness from her eyes, the queen blindly reached a hand to her bedside table to grab the book which, through some dedicated reading, she was only a mere few chapters away from completing.

After a few moments she realized she was grasping at air.

"Where did it go?" Elsa muttered. She got out of bed, scanning the ground to see if it had somehow fallen. When she still didn't see it, she started to get suspicious.

"Anna?" Elsa called out, poking her head into the hallway "Do you have—_Kristoff?_"

"Wha…Elsa!" Kristoff sat up; he had been asleep in the middle of the hallway. The Scarlett Letter had been resting open on his chest, and it tumbled as he sat up and landed on the floor.

"Kristoff, what were you doing with my new book?" she picked it up gingerly, examining it for damage. "You really shouldn't leave it open like that, you could have damaged the spine…"

"I thought…" Kristoff blushed in embarrassment. "You know, that you would like it if I read more."

Elsa's gaze softened. "Oh Kristoff—by the way, you should get up—good. Oh Kristoff, you spent all night trying to read that novel because you knew I liked it?"

"Yeah." He said, smiling sheepishly and rubbing the back of his head.

"Kristoff, I'm sorry. I realize I must have seemed so frigid—no joke intended—going out with you to celebrate our relationship and then just ignoring you like that."

She looked down at the novel in her hands. "But you really stayed up all night and finished the entire thing?"

"I figured there must be a reason you liked it so much, right?"

Elsa's smiled broadened. She put a cold palm on Kristoff's cheek.

"Kristoff, that was incredibly sweet of you. I didn't even finished it in one night and you did it for me…what did you think of it?" Elsa asked.

"Uh…well…it was interesting…"

"Kristoff, it's okay." She began rubbing her thumb across his cheek in small circles. Kristoff put one large, square hand over hers. "I know what you must have thought, but I really don't care if you read a lot of books. I like that you're an outdoorsman—we balance each other out."

"Really?"

Elsa nodded. "Of course. You don't need books to have interesting things to talk about—with the stuff you've done it's like listening to someone read an adventure novel."

"Then thank God," Kristoff said, "Because half the time I had no idea what was going on."

Elsa giggled as Kristoff placed a kiss to her lips. Her arms found their way around Kristoff's neck.

The book fell out of her hands, clattering on the floor. This time the spine was damaged. But really, Elsa thought, who cares about books?


	5. An Awkward Breakfast

**Author's note: Sorry for the INSANELY LONG time in between updating. I had some serious writer's block on this story so I worked on some other projects. Hope you enjoy though!**

Every time Kristoff's arms were around her, every time his lips found their way onto hers, Elsa couldn't help the pang of guilt that would shoot up through her body like an electric jolt.

She still hadn't told Anna. Now it was a strange sort of self-fulfilling prophecy; she wanted to tell Anna without her getting angry. But the longer she kept it a secret, the angrier she would be once Elsa told her—and so Elsa would put it off for another week.

Sometimes she would entertain the notion of just grabbing Kristoff while Anna was in the room and kissing him. She'd blush at the thought, of course, and mentally chastise herself. Things like this needed to be done delicately, she thought, however interesting that idea was.

"I'm going to tell Anna right now," Elsa said one night, cornered in a secluded hallway of the castle with Kristoff's hands around her waist.

"You…you are?" Kristoff asked, trying to sound unconcerned and failing.

"Yes. I swear Kristoff, I feel like a horrible person every time I kiss you now. The ruse has gone on long enough, don't you think?"

"Absolutely. I mean, do whatever you want. But if you want to, that would be great. Of course I don't care if you do or not—"

Elsa pressed a finger to his lips with a smile. "You're not very good at lying Kristoff."

The blond smiled sheepishly. "Well, it doesn't matter if you're going to do it anyway—oh, who am I kidding? This is great!" He picked her up in a hug, so excitedly that she gave a small yelp of surprise when she was lifted off the floor.

"Sorry…" He said, blushing, and then rested his forehead on hers. "But you have no idea how great it will be to tell everyone I'm dating the most beautiful woman in all of Arendelle."

That was what Elsa adored for infinitely about him; he wasn't lucky because she was the queen. To Kristoff, he was lucky because she was _her_.

But as he started to close the last few inches between their faces, his breath ghosting on her lips, she pulled away.

"No," Elsa breathed, "Not again until I tell Anna."

"You better go now then."

"Kristoff, it's after ten! Tomorrow morning, okay? I'll do it during breakfast."

* * *

><p>Elsa was never late to breakfast in the mornings, and today was not an exception. But she was rather surprised to come down and find that Anna was already there. And not only had she woken up on time, she also woke up early enough to already be dressed and have her hair done.<p>

"You're up early today Anna," Elsa said cheerfully, pulling out a chair and sitting down. Anna was laying her chin down on the table, tapping a fingernail on the mahogany restlessly. "Where is Hans?"

"What? Oh. He, uh, wanted to sleep in," Anna answered. "I couldn't sleep." There was an odd tension in the air, and in the tiredness of the morning Elsa panicked for a moment and thought that Anna had somehow found out. But she calmed again when she realized that Anna would have said something immediately if she knew.

"Elsa—"

"Anna—"

They stopped, looking at each other.

"Anna, I need to tell you something, and it's very important." Elsa stated.

"Listen, Elsa, I do too—"

"Please Anna, don't interrupt me," Elsa said. The servants came over, filling glasses and setting down plates of food. The conversation continued as Elsa settled her napkin neatly in her lap.

"But Elsa, I really need to talk," Anna said, almost desperately.

"If I don't tell you now, Anna—"

"Elsa, will you _listen to me for once_?" Anna slammed her palm on the table top. Before Elsa even knew what had happened, her sister was dabbing her eyes with the table cloth, hiccupping softly.

"Anna!" Elsa ordered the servants to go away, getting up and rushing to her side. "What is wrong?"

"H-Hans doesn't l-love me anymore!" Anna sobbed.

Elsa's mouth hung open in shock. "Anna, how could that be? Did something happen last night?"

"It wasn't just last night! Our honeymoon Elsa, when I said we came back early for your birthday? That was a lie. We came back because we were fighting." She reached the point after crying, where every few words her speech was interrupted by hiccups and shaky breaths.

"About what?" Elsa pursed her lips, genuinely puzzled. Hans and Anna were not the type of couple to fight; at least not this long. They had always missed each other far too much for their arguments to last more than a day.

"I…I mentioned having a baby," Anna answered, "And Hans said he didn't want one."

"You're having a baby?" Elsa gasped.

"No! I told him I _wanted_ to have one. He freaked out."

"How did this not come up _before_ you were married?"

"We were ready to get married two hours after we met. The subject just never came up! I mean…we agreed on everything else…but apparently he has this weird irrational fear that we'll end up having thirteen of them like his parents." She grabbed her napkin, screaming into it in frustration. "He's barely _touched_ me since our wedding night Elsa. I wish I had gotten pregnant then just to spite him!" At any other time that would have caused Elsa to blush, but her sister was so distraught that she didn't even care.

"Oh Anna…" Elsa said softly, hugging her sister. "I'm so sorry…why didn't you tell me this was going on?"

"I tried to!" Anna exploded, gesturing wildly. "But every time I tried to talk to you, you always had some meeting, or you needed to go somewhere else or something! And if you were in the room, Kristoff was there, and I couldn't tell him."

She sniffled quietly, and Elsa just continued rubbing her back comfortingly. How had she not seen the signs? Anna and Hans had seemed distant lately…she almost never saw the two together around the castle.

And now she felt a spike of guilt again; she couldn't tell her because of Kristoff. How many times had Anna been about to confide in her, only for Elsa to slip away to a secret spot in the castle with him? Why couldn't Elsa stop ignoring her own sister?

"Anna…I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Anna said, "I mean, it's not your problem Elsa."

"Your problems are my problems," The queen said firmly. "I would want to be an aunt all day."

"Well, maybe my next husband—" Anna said bitterly.

"Don't even talk about that," Elsa interrupted. "Anna, you've only been married for a few months. I may not know a lot about relationships, but I do know a lot about problems, and this is a small one."

"Really?"

"Of course. I'm sure Hans still loves you." The princess gave Elsa a watery smile, burying her face in her dress as she hugged her.

"Did you want to tell me something?" Anna asked, "Your turn." Elsa realized what she had to do.

"It was nothing," Elsa answered immediately, "In fact, I forgot."

When breakfast was over, and she ordered the servants to find the most decadent chocolate in their possession for Anna, Elsa slipped back outside to the stables. Kristoff often spent his time there with Sven—sometimes he would even sleep out there, when he missed living in the outdoors.

The mountain man was leaning against the stall door, eyes scanning for any sign of her, and he grinned when her figure appeared on the horizon.

"Elsa!" Kristoff called out excitedly, raising a hand in greeting, but frowned when she came closer. Something was wrong; Elsa didn't look happy.

"Elsa, did Anna take it badly?" Kristoff asked, when Elsa was right in front of him. "Unless…you didn't decide not to tell her _again_, did you?"

"I…well…yes," Elsa admitted. "But this time it's different!"

Kristoff fought the urge to grown. "How?"

Elsa grabbed Kristoff's wrist. "Because now I know exactly what we need to do first."


	6. Superstitious

Kristoff was not as on board with the idea of trying to fix Anna's marriage as Elsa was. Imagine, Kristoff said, how awkward it would be to try and solve their marriage problems. Couldn't they just tell Anna about their relationship and let Anna and Hans figure theirs out for themselves?

Imagine, Elsa said, what the ensuing conversation would be. Sorry your marriage is failing Anna—and by the way, let me tell you about the amazing relationship I have with one of your best friends.

Kristoff finally admitted that, maybe, the Anna and Hans situation needed to be resolved first.

"What are we supposed to do though? Talk to them?"

"I don't want Anna to know I'm talking to Hans," Elsa said, "I'm afraid she'll find it too awkward."

"Well, she's right." Kristoff pointed out. Elsa chose to ignore him.

"So I have a plan. You talk to Anna, keep her distracted, while I talk to Hans."

"What are you going to say to him?"

"I…don't know exactly. But I have to try, don't I?" She put a hand to her forehead, sighing.

Kristoff looked at Sven, watching their conversation from his stall in the stables.

"What do you think buddy?" Kristoff asked. He did his Sven voice: 'I think you should try it.'

"Wait, what? Are you serious?" Kristoff shook his head. "Fine." Elsa watched quietly. She had always found their closeness a little too weird for her to be totally comfortable with—but she was starting to warm up to it, finding it more funny than uncomfortable now.

"Let's get this over with," Elsa said. She sounded a bit exasperated; she understood why Kristoff wasn't particularly excited at the prospect of playing marriage counselor, but at the same time, she did wish he still had the patience he'd had at the beginning of the relationship.

* * *

><p>Hans grew to love the castle far more than his own home in the Southern Isles. It wasn't just Anna that made it so wonderful, or even the absence of his brothers. He felt he belonged in Arendelle—he related more to its customs, its quiet evenings and comfortably busy afternoons in the market. After he had announced he would live with Anna in the castle, rather than take her to the Southern Isles, he was received with such fanfare and celebration by the people that Hans almost cried with joy.<p>

So even if he and Anna weren't exactly on the best terms right now, he still found ways to enjoy himself. Curled up in the room where he had tried to save Anna from Elsa's curse, sipping hot tea and curled with a good book, Hans recalled pleasant memories in comfortable solitude. Not coincidentally, they were mostly after he met Anna and before their honeymoon…

There was a knock on the door; Hans look over his shoulder at the door. "Come in." He called.

He steeled himself. He assumed it would be Anna.

"Hello?" Elsa poked her head through the door; Hans smiled. Since the wedding he and his sister-and-law had become good friends.

"Elsa! Come in. Would you like some tea?"

"No—" Elsa realized that she shouldn't make him suspicious. "Actually, sure. I'd love some."

"Well, join me then!" Hans said, motioning her over. Elsa walked over, sitting down in the chair next to him, crossing her legs stiffly. She grabbed the cup with a closed-lip smile.

"Like it?" Hans asked.

"Yes," She lifted the liquid to her lips, making an exaggerated 'mmm' noise, smacking her lips.

Hans laughed. "You know Elsa, I've been meaning to talk to you. I've been talking to the people lately when I've gone into town, and I've heard a lot of great idea…"

The prince launched into a speech, one he had obviously been planning, on several ideas he had to run a more efficient government. Elsa, for her part, nodded politely, not listening to a word he said.

"—And furthermore, considering how slowly your ice melts, I think we could make a lot of money using it in trade. The extra goods we would get in exchange would more than make up for the deficit caused by the Weselton embargo—"

"I talked to Anna," Elsa blurted out, unable to stand it any longer. Hans's jovial demeanor did a complete one-eighty. He gripped his tea so hard his knuckles were turning white.

"What about?" He asked.

"From the way you look, you know what it's about." Elsa answered calmly. "Hans, what's going on?"

He put his cup down. He pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head. "Nothing is going on. We just have some…different opinions, that's all. It'll blow over."

"Hans, I don't think this is just different opinions to Anna." Elsa answered. "She wants children. She said you don't want any?"

"I…I don't see how it matters. Your child would be next in line for the throne, so it's not like we would need to produce an heir—"

"That's not her problem, and you know it Hans," Elsa snapped. She bit her lower lip. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so rude…but Hans, Anna thinks you don't love her anymore."

Hans looked like he had been slapped. He slumped in his seat, putting his head in his hands.

"Oh God…I had no…that isn't true. It is _one hundred percent_ untrue. I love Anna now more than ever. She's the best thing that ever happened to me." He slapped his hand on the arm rest of his chair. "Dammit, I just wish I could make her _understand_."

It pained Elsa to see her brother-in-law that way, and she leaned forward to please a comforting hand on his arm. "Understand what?" Elsa asked gently.

Hans looked back up. "I have twelve older brothers," He said, "The Southern Isles is, well, how shall I put this…a very superstitious place. We are very aware of traditions, with a lot of importance on numbers and cycles of the moon and everything."

Elsa nodded in understanding. "Go on."

"You can imagine how I was treated being the _thirteenth_ child."

Elsa's mouth formed a small 'o' of surprise. She had never paid attention to Hans's association with the number thirteen; the fear of the number was not restricted to the Southern Isles, of course, but it was more of a habitual avoidance than anything, and one that was easily forgotten after knocking on wood. She couldn't imagine extending that onto a _person_.

"I can imagine."

"Yes. My brother Lucas used to tell me mother and father considered drowning me when I was born. The saddest thing is I believed him."

Elsa was absolutely horrified. "Hans…I mean…I am so sorry. But what does that have to do with not wanting to have children with Anna?"

"Because it runs in the family!" Hans exclaimed. "They think that it's bizarre here, but in the Southern Isles, I come from a long line of men who've had numerous children. My father was one of fifteen. My grandfather one of _twenty_. And in every family, the thirteenth was ostracized and treated like scum. They all ended up either becoming destitute or lashing out and getting exiled. I mean, look at me. I almost _killed_ you!"

She couldn't believe how unstable Hans actually was. The way he described his childhood—and it was horrific—made her remember what she had thought when they had asked her the second time for permission to be married: five months still wasn't that long. Should she have trusted her intuition?

"If I have children, I will have many of them," Hans finished. "How can I be a good father with more than ten children? My parents never had any time for us. How can I explain to my thirteenth son or daughter why their grandparents avert their eyes whenever they walk in the room?"

Elsa kept her hand on his arm as he wallowed in self-pity for a moment.

"Hans…" Elsa said gently, "I don't know if you noticed, but this isn't the Southern Isles. This is Arendelle. No one here _cares_ about those things."

"But my family—"

"Do not get along with you anyway. And your thirteenth child—assuming you will have such a ridiculous amount of children-will not miss their grandparents," She said firmly, "When he has an Aunt Elsa who will love him almost as much as you will."

Hans smiled for a moment in spite of himself. Elsa took notice of it and started to gain more confidence. "And don't forget Hans, you could have it a lot worse. If I have a child they might be cursed with magical ice powers." Later it would hit Elsa that that was a legitimate worry, and one that would keep her up at night, but for now she only said it to try and lighten the mood.

"I…I mean…thank you Elsa," Hans said. "But…I mean, I don't know…"

"And think about this," Elsa continued, "True, you may have tried to kill me, but you're not exiled from your home and you're certainly not destitute. You broke the curse."

"It wasn't me…it was Anna…" He sniffed, and Elsa realized he had been fighting back tears. "Anna saved my life. I don't know what I would be like if I hadn't met her."

"All the more reason why you shouldn't worry," Elsa said adamantly. "You'll be different because no one else had Anna."

Hans smiled, the realization hitting him. "You're right." He grinned widely. "I guess Anna is my good luck charm, isn't she?"

"I suppose so," Elsa said, smiling. She got up, holding a hand out to the prince. "Don't you think it's time you talked to her? Put a stop to all of this nonsense?"

Hans looked at Elsa's outstretched hand for a moment, and then reached for it hesitantly.


	7. Kristoff and Anna on the Roof

For Kristoff, finding Anna was easy. She was upset, and when she was upset, she ate chocolate. As soon as the blonde opened the door to the kitchens, Anna was there, stuffing her face with bonbons.

"Krissoff?" Anna tried to say, mouth full of food. She gulped it down, putting her hand on her chest as she swallowed. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you!"  
>"It's fine." Kristoff took a step closer; she looked like she had been crying. "I was just, um, wondering…er…"<p>

"What?" She asked, tilting her head slightly to one side.

"I heard that, you, uh, have been having a rough time lately. Want to hang out?"

Anna seemed to be unsure whether she was flattered or offended. "Did Elsa tell you about me?"

"What? No! I just, uh, noticed those sorts of things, you know? Of course I can when my best friend is having a bad day."

Amazingly, Anna believed him. She grinned, placing a hand to her chest. "Oh Kristoff, that's so sweet of you!" She blushed. "What do you want to do?"

"Well, where do you want to go?" Kristoff asked.

Anna pondered the answer for a moment before grabbing Kristoff's wrist. "_Anywhere but here_."

Kristoff nodded, happy to oblige.

The day was spent in the market. Until Kristoff actually left with her, it hadn't occurred to him just how long it had been since they'd hung out alone. Thinking about it in his head, the last time had been before Anna and Hans were engaged.

The conversation started out a little stilted, both unsure if they were still close friends, but gradually became more relaxed as the day wore on. They reminisced about their adventure to North Mountain, sampled chocolate in one of the local shops, and Kristoff laughed when Anna attempted to squeeze into a corset she found in a clothing boutique.

"You like this?" Anna wheezed, walking out stiffly.

"You look great Anna," Kristoff said sincerely, "But you should probably pick something you can breathe in, you know?"

Anna tried to laugh—it came out more like a wheeze—and agreed, going back in the dressing room to change.

"So, what do you want to do now?" Anna asked. "It's starting to get dark."

"I don't know, where do you want to go?"  
>Anna smiled. "Want to watch the sunset from on the roof?"<p>

Kristoff shrugged, nodding. Hopefully when that was over Hans would, for better or for worse, be ready to talk to Anna."Why not?"

They kept talking as they climbed onto the roof from the window of Anna's old room.

"Hans and I used to come up here all the time," Anna said wistfully. "He'd sit right next to me…" She rubbed the spot next to her fondly, lost in thought for a moment. She realized what she was doing, patting the spot eagerly. "Well, come on, it's not like he reserved it."

Kristoff sat next to Anna, who was hugging her knees to her chest. "You're pretty intuitive Kristoff, you know."

"Really?"  
>"Yeah. I was upset this morning." Anna said. Kristoff nodded sagely. He shifted so that he faced her.<p>

"I'm glad I could help." He said. Anna smiled.

"Thank you," She said, looking down, growing very interested in the roof tiles.

"Something wrong again?" Kristoff asked, frowning. Anna's nose wrinkled; she seemed to be conflicted.

"I thought about leaving Hans for you," She finally whispered shyly. "Before we were engaged…"

The air hung heavy between them. Kristoff just stared at his friend in utter shock. Anna looked at him fearfully. "I'm sorry Kristoff! I freaked you out didn't I?"

"Uh…uh…" Kristoff couldn't even get his jaw to stop hanging open.

"I mean, it's just…Hans and I have been having problems since we got married," Anna admitted, "And right after the whole thing with Elsa, Hans and I decided we'd try dating, but I was also spending time with you…and there was a point where I was like 'what if I like Kristoff better?'" She twirled her hair in one finger nervously, watching Kristoff's reaction. "I've been thinking about that a lot."

"Anna…what…huh?" Kristoff was absolutely dumbfounded. Just a few months ago this was the moment he dreamed about his entire life.

Now he just felt really, really uncomfortable, as he took note of Anna inching closer to him. "Anna, maybe we should go in—"

Anna took that precise moment to lean in and kiss him. Kristoff kept his eyes open, staring at her, too shocked to do anything for a brief second. When Anna's hand reached up, to be placed lightly on his cheek, Kristoff pushed away.

"Anna, what are you doing?" Kristoff tried not to sound angry, but it was hard. He was panicking. Did he just cheat on Elsa? Did what just happened even count? He didn't pull away immediately, but it wasn't because he was enjoying it.

"Kristoff, I know you liked me." Anna said, sounding almost annoyed. "And you don't come with a horrible step family. And you don't mind having kids. I can't take it anymore Kristoff." She clutched his shoulders tightly. "I can't be with someone who shuts me out. I had enough of that with Elsa for eighteen years. This is right, okay? You…you have to feel the same way about me, don't you?" She leaned in to kiss him again; Kristoff couldn't take it anymore. He jumped up.

"Anna, I AM IN LOVE WITH YOUR SISTER!" He covered his mouth with a gloved hand. If it was even possible, Kristoff was more panicked.

First of all, because he had just broken the promise he had made to Elsa. He'd told Anna about them. She would kill him.

Secondly, which he realized a beat later, was the fact that he admitted he was _in love_ with her. Was he?

He watched the red head fearfully as he waited for her initial shock to leave her body.

"You…you're in love…with Elsa?" She asked. She didn't look angry. Not exactly happy either. Just confused.

"Yes." Kristoff answered, "I am."

He waited for the anger. Anna still just stammered. "I didn't know…I mean…sorry then…"

"Anna, I'm so sorry," Kristoff said, "This has been going on for awhile, I'm sorry I never told you—"

"Never told me?" She said. There it was: the indignation. Kristoff braced himself. "What about _Elsa_?"

_ What?_

"Elsa?" Kristoff repeated dumbly.

"Yes, _Bjorgman_. Elsa gets hounded by her advisors all the time about finding somebody! She really could have used you _awhile_ ago." She huffed, crossing her arms.

"But Elsa and I—"

It was then Kristoff realized what this meant.

"—Are…uh…just friends," He finished. He tried his best to look sad. "She'd never go for some ice guy who talks to reindeer, would she?"

"Are you kidding? Elsa thinks you're awesome," Anna assured him. "I mean, seriously Kristoff, you need to tell Elsa you like her right now! Think about it. If you can get a married princess without even trying—"

Anna stopped. She frowned for a moment, and then clutched her head in her hands.

Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!" Anna moaned.

"Anna! What's wrong?"

"I just cheated on my husband!" Anna wailed. "I am a horrible person. I can't believe I did that, how could I be such an idiot—"

"Anna, calm down," Kristoff said gently. He pulled her in for a hug, patting her on the back. "That was hardly cheating. You kissed me for like, two seconds."

"But I did kiss you! Oh Kristoff, I didn't mean any of what I said before, I swear. I've just had a really bad day."

"I know."

"And you were being so nice to me that I kind of just lost my mind for a second. You know how emotional I get." She pulled out of the hug. "I love Hans so much." She said softly, then again more firmly, "I love Hans and he is a wonderful husband."

"You know you need to talk to him, right?" Kristoff asked. Anna nodded. "I mean, we can forget about…that…hopefully forever. But whatever is wrong with you guys, you need to fix that."

"You're right." Anna answered. But she looked at Kristoff, smirking. "I'll make you a deal."

"What's the deal?"

"If I talk to Hans," Anna said, "You need to tell Elsa you like her."

Keeping up the charade, Kristoff looked away for a moment. "I don't know Anna…"

"Come on, Kristoff! I need this! Please. I need something to restore my faith in true love. What better way than to see you confess your love to my sister?"

Confess his _love_? "What if it doesn't go well?" Kristoff asked honestly.

"She will," Anna said adamantly, "Because I know Elsa likes you. She spends tons of time with you."

Anna seemed to shrink into herself, still consumed with guilt at what she had just done. "Okay Anna, I'll do it." Kristoff finally answered. He put an arm around his friend's shoulder, forgiving her for what she had done, and they both climbed through the window, back into the castle.


	8. A Confession

Anna and Kristoff found Hans in the room where he was talking to Elsa.

"This is Hans's favorite room in the castle," Anna said. "He'll be in here." Her fingers curled around the doorknob.

"Oh Kristoff, I'm so nervous…" Anna whispered.

"Why?"

"What if this doesn't work?"

"Saying I'm sorry won't work?"

"I don't know." She took her hand off the doorknob, rubbing her arm as she smiled at him sheepishly. "Plus, I still feel kind of guilty about—"

"THAT NEVER HAPPENED." Kristoff interrupted.

Anna shook her head vigorously. "Fine, fine, you're right!"

"And hey Anna, you think this is easy for me to do?" Kristoff crossed his arms. "I mean, if you don't want to do this, that's fine. Saves me from having to talk to Elsa…" He smirked.

"Oh no, Bjorgmann. You and Elsa will get together, and you will be adorable, and I will get to be an aunt to make up for my potential lack of children!"

More may have been said, until the door was opened and Hans came face to face with Anna.

"I heard voices outside the door…" Hans said, staring at Anna like she was a ghost. "Hello Anna."

They stared at each other with a few more moments. Anna spread her arms out wide.

"HANS!"

"ANNA!"

Kristoff stepped out of the way as Anna practically jumped into Hans's arms.

"Anna, I am so sorry," Hans said, "I overreacted."

"Are you kidding? It's my fault! I mean, we were only married for like, a day and I was already talking about having children! I guess we haven't learned, have we?"

"No, _you _haven't." Hans said. He held her in his arms, smirking when Anna pretended to pout in anger. "Well, _some_ of it is your fault…"

Hans laughed, and kissed her. He practically dipped her down to the ground as Anna threw her arms around his neck.

"Uh…I think we did a good job Elsa," Kristoff said, walking into the room. "Why don't we give them a moment—"

"Hmmm?" Anna made a noise, her lips still firmly on her husband's, and shook her head. She detached herself from Hans, the prince looking disgruntled.

"Uh-uh Kristoff!" Anna said, smirking, "We had a deal, remember?"

"What deal?" Hans and Elsa said at the same time.

Kristoff looked at Elsa. "Anna told me if she went back inside to talk to Hans, I had to tell you something."

"What…?"

Kristoff looked at Anna and gave a lopsided smile. He never promised to be completely serious.

Seeing that there was a vase of flowers on a side table next to him, Kristoff grabbed it and got down on one knee. The more surprised Elsa was, the better this would work.

"Kristoff—what are you doing?" Elsa asked.

Kristoff cleared his throat dramatically. "Queen Elsa of Arendelle, from the moment I saw you summon a giant monster to try and kill me, I knew you were someone very important in my life. The longer I've known you, the more I've begun to like you—"

"Kristoff," Anna admonished, "Can you please be a little more serious? You don't want Elsa to think you're asking her out as a joke or something!"

"Asking me out?" Elsa repeated, "But Kristoff—"

She saw the look on his face and stopped. She could almost hear him say _just go with it_.

"—I didn't expect this." Elsa finished; which was true.

"Then I'm going to cut to the chase," Kristoff said, "Elsa, will you be my girlfriend?"

Elsa, feeding off of Kristoff's dramatics and Anna in the background quietly squealing in excitement, put a hand to her mouth. "Oh, Kristoff," She swooned, "I would like nothing more!"

Kristoff got off his knee and kissed her, running a hand through platinum hair as soft as goose feathers. Elsa, for her part, responded with gusto.

"I love you," Kristoff murmured softly, when they both parted for the briefest of moments for air.

Anna stared at them in shock. "That was not how I expected that to go…"

Hans was blushing scarlet. "Maybe we should go?" He said, taking Anna's arm in his own. "We should spend the day together. Have a date night of our own."

Anna nodded, following him out of the room, looking back at the 'new' couple with a satisfied grin. _Finally._

* * *

><p>Kristoff had no idea how long he had continued kissing her before he finally let go. "Was that amazing or what?" Kristoff asked, grinning. "Now everyone knows and there's no awkward 'I've been seeing him behind your back' talk. Come on, I'm awesome right?"<p>

Elsa just stared at him, looking vaguely shocked. "Elsa?" He waved a hand in front of her face. She barely blinked.

Okay, now he was getting kind of freaked out. What happened—then he realized.

_He said I love you._

"Kristoff…you…" Elsa started weakly.

"I was, um….what I meant was…you know, I was playing it up," Kristoff stammered, "You know, I was being really dramatic for Anna and everything?"

"No." Elsa shook her head. "You said it too softly. Anna couldn't have heard you."

Despite being right next to a woman who literally radiated cold, Kristoff started to sweat.

"You meant it, didn't you?" She asked, sounding mildly curious.

"I…I…well, I was caught up in the moment," Kristoff admitted. "I don't know why I said it."

"So you didn't mean it," Elsa said, frowning slightly.

"No! Well, yes…I don't know." He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "It's just, you're beautiful and nice and smarter than I am, and I can't believe I'm with you sometimes, and now I was kissing you and I was so relieved about finally not having to pretend we were just friends—"

Elsa put a finger to his lips. "Kristoff? Shut up." She smiled.

"Hmmm?"

"I understand. I…I feel like that too."

"You do?" Kristoff said.

Elsa nodded. "Yes." She traced circles on his cheek with her thumb. "I have an idea. Let's not worry about that, okay? I really like you, and you really like me. But who cares how we say it?"

Kristoff grinned, kissing her softly. "Awesome. Man, you have no idea how glad I am to be here. After Anna practically jumped me on the roof—"

"_What?"_

"…Nothing."


End file.
